And we are back! The 106th season of the NFL is finally here, with the road to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara beginning in Philadelphia on Thursday night.

The opening slate of games features eight divisional match-ups, starting with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles against the Dallas Cowboys, marking the fifth season since 2002 with as many rivalries in the opening week.

The new season will mean plenty of new faces, with teams unveiling drafted newcomers and free agents for the first time. There are 12 teams that will start the season with a different quarterback than played for them in Week 1 last year, from the very young — in first overall pick Cam Ward — to the grizzled veterans, with Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco set to start for their new sides.

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GAME OF THE WEEK

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles host NFC East opponents the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener on Thursday night, a game that will be preceded by the hanging of the championship banner at Lincoln Financial Field. The Birds are looking to become the 10th team to repeat as Super Bowl champions and the first since the Kansas City Chiefs, who the Eagles dealt with in Super Bowl LIX. Philly have good recent form in Week 1, winning each of their last four season-openers under head coach Nick Sirianni, but suffered some losses on the defensive side of the ball in the offseason, notably pass rusher Josh Sweat, defensive tackle Milton Williams and cornerback Darius Slay. However, in Jalen Carter, they have one of only three defensive lineman who managed at least 10 tackles for loss and six pass break-ups in 2024 and is quickly becoming a superstar. Despite the losses, the Eagles have a stacked roster, particularly on offense, with quarterback Jalen Hurts, reigning Offensive Player of the Year running back Saquon Barkley and wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith all supported by a stellar offensive line.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, are taking the field for the first time under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who replaced Mike McCarthy during the offseason. The Cowboys endured a rough 2024 season, with quarterback Dak Prescott missing for most of the campaign, and they’ll be looking to Schottenheimer to inject new life into an offense that looked stale late in the McCarthy era. The Cowboys task of upsetting the Eagles took a massive blow last week, however, when they traded away star pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. As a result, Dallas will hope returning defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus can coach around the loss, particularly with a ball-hawking secondary that includes Trevon Diggs and Daron Bland. Diggs has five interceptions in six career games against the Eagles, while Bland already has five pick sixes in his career.

PREDICTION: The Eagles get their Super Bowl run off to the perfect start with a third straight win over their NFC East foes.

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WELL WORTH A WATCH

Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills

Week 1 sees an epic match-up between two of the perennial bridesmaids of the AFC, with the Ravens travelling to upstate New York to take on the Bills. These two sides met in the regular and postseason in 2024, with the Ravens taking the early honours 35-10, before the Bills emerged victorious 27-25 in the AFC Divisional Round. This clash marks the second consecutive season that the two most recent MVPs have met in Week 1, with Lamar Jackson winning his second MVP after the 2023 campaign and Josh Allen his first last season. The Ravens have won four of the last five regular season meetings between these two powerhouses, with coach John Harbaugh — a former coaching colleague of Bills head coach Sean McDermott on Andy Reid’s Eagles staff — the owner of 5-4 record against the Bills. Lamar Jackson, who became the first player in NFL history to pass for more than 4,000 yards, 40 touchdowns and less than five interceptions last season, is at the head of another Ravens roster that looks stacked on both sides of the ball, with the unbreakable Derrick Henry at running back and a host of talented pass catchers led by Zay Flowers, who had his first career 1,000-yard season in 2024.

The Bills won all 10 of their home games last year, regular and postseason, and in Allen have a special leader of their own. The QB had 28 passing and 12 rushing touchdowns last season, with another two rushing scores against the Ravens in the playoff, while running back James Cook — signed to a big money extension this offseason — set a franchise record with 16 rushing touchdowns a year ago. The Bills added veterans to their defense in the offseason, signing pass rusher Joey Bosa and cornerback Tre’Davious White, who spent part of the 2024 campaign with the Ravens, and both sides will be looking for 2025 to be the year they get over the hump in the AFC.

PREDICTION: It’ll be a close-run thing, but the Bills will just about hold off the Ravens to strike an early blow in the AFC playoff standings.

Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears

A new era of Bears football opens with a clash between two of the brightest young offensive minds in the league, as Ben Johnson makes his head coaching bow against Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings at Soldier Field. The Bears have lost seven of their last eight meetings with the Vikings but, after a disastrous 2024 campaign that saw them make an in-season firing for the first time in franchise history, they are hoping that former Lions OC Johnson can sprinkle his magic dust with Caleb Williams and a young corps of pass catchers. The Bears defense, for so long the face of the franchise, has some intriguing talent and a tried-and-tested coordinator in Dennis Allen as they look hold up their end of the bargain.

The Vikings, a game away from earning the #1 seed in 2024, have a new face at quarterback with second-year player J.J. McCarthy taking over from Sam Darnold after missing his entire rookie campaign with injury. McCarthy has one of the best pass-catching corps in the entire league, even with Jordan Addison missing the first three games of the season due to suspension. In Justin Jefferson, the Vikings have a receiver with 7,432 receiving yards over his first five seasons, while they have also reunited with Adam Thielen, who is third in franchise history with 534 receptions and fifth with 6,682 receiving yards. Their defense is no joke either, with Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave joining a unit that racked up 49 sacks a year ago.

PREDICTION: The Johnson Era gets off to a promising start in terms of product, but ultimately still ends up with a loss.

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ALSO ON IN WEEK 1

Kansas City Chiefs @ Los Angeles Chargers

The NFL returns to Brazil with a meeting between two AFC playoff teams from a year ago. Can the Chiefs put their Super Bowl disappointment behind them and begin their quest for a fourth straight appearance in the Big Game, or will Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert begin to flex their muscles and bring about a power shift in the AFC West?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons took both regular season meetings between these sides in 2024, but they couldn’t stop the Buccaneers taking the division. With Michael Penix now entrenched as the starter at quarterback, can the Dirty Birds strike an early blow as they look to end the Bucs’ dominance of the NFC South?

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns

Joe Burrow and the Bengals have a reputation for starting seasons slowly, a trait that ultimately cost them a playoff berth last season despite Burrow putting up video game numbers with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on offense. The Browns, meanwhile, appear to be listlessly still counting the cost of the disastrous Deshaun Watson trade. It would be an upset if Joe Flacco and Cleveland inflict an early season loss on a Bengals side that, offensively, can match any side in the league.

Miami Dolphins @ Indianapolis Colts

The Colts quarterback merry-go-round has landed on Daniel Jones, with the former Giant stepping in to replace Anthony Richardson. Whether he survives the whole season is a massive question. The Dolphins, meanwhile, look to bounce back after a weary 2024 campaign that saw them miss the postseason, but have question marks over their defensive personnel and endured an offseason of weird vibes among their offensive skill players.

Carolina Panthers @ Jacksonville Jaguars

A clash between two sides with former first overall picks at quarterback both coached by former Buccaneers coordinators. Can Liam Coen ‘fix’ Trevor Lawrence after two middling seasons, or will Bryce Young’s improvement in 2024 help inflict an opening day L on the Jags?

Las Vegas Raiders @ New England Patriots

Former Patriots head coach Pete Carroll begins his Raiders tenure with a clash against new Patriots head man Mike Vrabel and his offensive coordinator, former Raiders boss Josh McDaniels. Which of these two uninspiring offensive units from a year ago can start the season better, with veteran Geno Smith going up against young buck Drake Maye? Oh, and don’t forget one Tom Brady is now a minority Raiders owner…

Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints

A clash between two teams coached by men who coordinated the Eagles in Super Bowls, but can Jonathan Gannon’s Cardinals start the season strong against Kellen Moore and a Saints team many believe will be in the hunt for the first overall pick in April?

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New York Jets

These two teams are quarterbacked by players who started last season wearing the colours of the other side in this matchup. Aaron Rodgers will be out to ruin the first day of the Aaron Glenn era in New York, while Justin Fields hopes to make the Steelers regret casting him aside in favour of a Hall-of-Famer whose best years are in the distant rear-view mirror.

New York Giants @ Washington Commanders

The Commanders snuck up on people in 2024 as they made it all the way to the NFC title game, while the Giants’ top brass kept the faith with their embattled head coach and GM after another woeful season. Can either of these once-storied franchises jumpstart their season with a W and maybe put the pressure on the Eagles as they look to become the first repeat winners of the NFC East in over 20 years?

Tennessee Titans @ Denver Broncos

Cam Ward makes his NFL debut as probably the least talked about first overall pick in decades and faces a Broncos side that was dominant on defense a year ago, but needed to get better on offense. Can the Broncos wrestle back the initiative in a series in which they have dropped three of the last four meetings?

San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks

Both teams are looking to bounce back after middling campaigns in 2024, but which side of the ball will hold sway – the 49ers offense, run by one of the best playcallers in the league in head coach Kyle Shanahan, or the Seahawks defense, led by one of the brightest young defensive minds around in Mike McDonald?

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers

The Lions, on their way to becoming an NFC powerhouse, have dominated this rivalry in recent years, with six wins in the last seven games. They were the best team in football a year ago, but injuries ultimately derailed them on defense. They also lost both coordinators to head coaching roles this offseason. The Packers, one of the most well coached units on both sides of the ball in recent times, added an absolute gamechanger on defense in Micah Parsons, although it remains to be seen if he suits up this weekend.

Houston Texans @ Los Angeles Rams

A clash between two gunslinging quarterbacks and a great coach on both sides of the ball. Can the Texans put last seasons offensive struggles behind them to trade blows with a Rams side without Cooper Kupp, but now featuring Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, or will their fierce defense make Matt Stafford’s night a miserable one as he begins his 17th season in the league?

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